


Zora Courting

by Jadeile



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Cultural Differences, Demiromantic Character, Humor, I'm making up Zora behaviour here woo, M/M, Romance, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Sign Language, did I just accidentally make Sidon demi?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-21 08:13:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15553437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadeile/pseuds/Jadeile
Summary: Prince Sidon decides that he is going to formally court Link, Zora style. Link is mostly baffled.Aka The story where the author makes up a bunch of Zora behaviour in order to make Sidon's love life needlessly difficult.





	1. To catch his eye

Today was going to be the day.

Sidon had decided, when he last watched Link’s back disappear into the horizon, that the next time the hero returned he would start courting him. He had avoided the issue for long enough because of his conflicted feelings about having romantic intentions towards the man his sister had once been in love with, but he was at peace with it now.

The fact that Link was a Hylian, and a male one at that, had delayed his decision quite a bit too, if he was being honest. In hindsight, it rather neatly explained away his disinterest in the female Zora who had tried to court him along the years. He had, of course, eventually tried turning his attention to the male population with some success, but he had never really clicked with anyone. It seemed now that he just had some rather particular tastes.

Point was that Link was returning to the Domain, and Sidon had a promise to keep to himself. He no longer had excuses to hide behind.

It didn’t mean that he was feeling particularly confident about courting his best friend. Link was difficult to read unless he wanted to be transparent on purpose, so Sidon had no clue if his advances would be well received. It made him nervous, even if he didn't want to admit it. He was used to everybody fancying him and being ready to throw themselves at his feet from the word “go”, but now he had to actually put in effort. He knew how it worked, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to tell whether it was working or not, unless Link threw himself at his feet too.

The Zora Prince adjusted his regalia fussily, fidgeting in front of his mirror. He still had some time before Link was due to arrive at the Domain proper, as he had only received a message from a scout that Link was on his way there, not yet at the gates.

Just enough time to second-guess his attire. He almost always wore the same things when Link visited, didn’t he? For a reason, really, since his current accessories were the most comfortable and least intruding ones; he could easily swim and fight in them, if necessary, and they didn’t snag on Link’s clothes if he had the opportunity to embrace his friend.

But maybe he should wear something different for once? Something to catch Link’s eye? After all, he was trying to make an impression...

\-----

Sidon made it to the gate just before Link’s form appeared on the other end of the bridge. His arrival time had been a little too close for comfort, but at least he made it.

The guards on either side of the gate gave him contemplative looks, the purple female guard even an admiring one.

Sidon preened a little, feeling more confident in his choice of clothes now. He had wondered if he was overdoing it, but in the end had decided that yes, he would wear as much yellow as his wardrobe allowed, just to make his intentions very clear. Yellow was the traditional colour male Zora wore when they wanted to stand out and make an impression on whoever they were courting. He believed it was because yellow stood out very well in water, so if one wanted attention down below, it was the best option.

In any case, he was broadcasting his intentions for all of the Domain to see, and he hoped Link was impressed with his looks.

Sidon had to keep his hands clasped behind his back to fight the urge to adjust his accessories again, until Link was finally close enough to be greeted.

“Link! I’ve been expecting you. It’s so wonderful to see you again”, Sidon said brightly, and puffed out his chest just so, making his yellow cravat extremely obvious against his white chest scales.

Link smiled at him and simply waved. His eyes dropped to the cravat for a split-second before he looked up again. His expression didn’t change in the slightest.

It was almost like he didn’t even register the colour, or care.

‘It’s nice to see you too’, Link signed, then nodded at the pack he was carrying. ‘I’ll book a room at the inn and drop these off. Then we can talk?’

Sidon was baffled. How could Link be so nonchalant? Did he figure that Sidon just wanted to show off a little today for no reason?

That wouldn't do.

Sidon collected himself, and went for his trump card. He did his signature arm flex and grin pose, and subtly tilted his head forward in the process, making sure the brilliant yellow aigrette on his head was plain to see even for the short Hylian.

“Sounds like a plan! I shall be waiting for you outside the inn”, he said, and waited for a reaction.

Link’s eyes glanced up for maybe a second, but then went lower and spent a longer while on his arm and smile instead. Then he smiled and gave thumbs up, and turned to head to the inn.

Sidon didn’t understand anything anymore.

“Sire… I don’t think it worked. But if it means anything, I think you look very alluring in yellow”, the purple female guard said sympathetically.


	2. To catch his favour

Sidon decided to try another approach the next morning. Link had paid no attention whatsoever to his attire the whole day, but that didn’t necessarily indicate a lack of interest. Maybe he just was hard to win over, and expected more effort than just fancy clothing.

Sidon knew that he certainly did himself. He had never been impressed with someone just because of the way they looked. He conveniently ignored the fact that he hadn’t been impressed by the other Zora no matter what they did, because that would have punched too many holes into his logic.

In the morning he woke up bright and early, just so he could be ready at the inn when Link woke up.

“Good morning, Link”, he said cheerfully when the Hylian emerged from his bed, looking groggy and disheveled.

Oh, his hair was out of the ponytail and looked adorably messy! Sidon wanted to touch it very badly, but managed to stop himself. It would likely be rude.

Link looked at him blankly for a moment, then lifted a hand to wave him hello. He didn’t look all that awake yet.

Sidon noticed that Link was wearing a long shirt with no pants or shoes, and no other equipment either. It was the first time Sidon had seen him in such a state, and the cuteness of that alone made waiting here worth it.

Was he always like this in the morning? Oh, probably only when he was staying at inns or other safe places; he couldn’t imagine Link leaving himself this vulnerable out in the wilderness. Still, was this the sight Sidon could anticipate waking up to if he and Link got together?

Sidon’s neck scales flared slightly at the thought. So. Adorable.

Link yawned, and stretched his arms above his head. Then he walked up to Sidon, looking inquisitive.

Oh, right! Sidon had gotten completely distracted by the sheer cute that was Link.

He gave a big grin and brought his present out into the open, holding it out to Link.

“I caught this with my own hands, just for you”, he said, using the traditional words for this situation, to distinguish it from any regular occurrence.

Then he handed Link the Hylian Bass he had caught first thing in the morning.

Link took the fish, and stared at it.

Oh, this was it, wasn’t it? He knew it! Sidon smiled in anticipation.

Link stared at the fish for a bit longer, then glanced at Sidon, looking… oddly baffled? Then he smiled, and signed ‘Thank you’, before walking over to the cooking pot.

That was… very anticlimactic. Where was the gushing? The words ‘I would gladly share this with you, instead’? Any kind of acknowledgment of his feelings?

Link just cut the head off the fish with the provided kitchen knife, swiftly sliced the fish in half, and tossed it into the pot with some salt.

Sidon was very confused.

He snapped out of said confusion when Link tugged at his forearm fin to catch his attention.

‘You want some?’ the Hylian signed with a smile.

...It was way too casually asked to actually mean anything. Still, Sidon accepted and ate breakfast with Link, trying not to show how awkward he felt about it.

\-----

At lunch time, Sidon brought a Mighty Carp, having convinced himself that Link just wasn’t impressed with a regular old Hylian Bass. They were literally everywhere in Hyrule, after all, and thus not at all impressive. Sidon wouldn’t have been impressed with a Hylian Bass.

Again, Link thanked him, and cooked the fish. Sidon ate with him, swallowing his disappointment along with the fish, and plotting his next attempt.

He obviously needed to step up his game.

\-----

At dinner, Sidon brought a Hearty bass. It was a really bold statement, one Sidon had been hesitant to commit to, but he was serious about Link. If anyone deserved a Hearty Bass, it was most definitely Link.

Link looked at him strangely, but accepted the fish nonetheless. But still no signs that his affections were accepted as well.

This time Sidon didn’t stay to eat with Link, already set on his next course of action.

It might take him a while.

\-----

Late in the evening Sidon finally returned to Link again, this time bringing a Voltfin Trout.

Now THAT was bound to impress anyone. They were rare to find and hard to catch, unless one knew exactly where to look. Sidon hadn’t known exactly where to look – only a general area – so it had taken him all evening to track one down.

“I caught this with my own hands, just for you”, he said tiredly, presenting Link with one last fish for the day.

Link looked at it, then gave Sidon a sheepish smile.

‘Thank you, but I think I’ve eaten enough fish to last a while. I don’t normally eat just fish all day’, he signed, looking truly apologetic.

Sidon felt numb. But after a few awkward seconds of staring at Link, he plastered on a smile for the sake of his friend.

“Oh, I see. I should have expected that. Worry not, though! I’ll just give this to Kodah. I’m sure the other patrons of the inn will appreciate it”, Sidon said with all the fake cheer he could muster.

He wasn’t sure if Link bought the act, but the Hylian didn’t call him out on it.

Sidon gave the fish to Kodah with a defeated slump to his shoulders, receiving a sympathetic pat in return.

Maybe… Maybe tomorrow would be better...


	3. To catch his fancy

The next morning Sidon gave himself a pep-talk to get out of the slump that was the Fish Disaster, as he now privately referred to it.

“It’s not that he rejected you, it’s just that he is used to a more varied diet”, he spoke to his mirror. “It was your own mistake that you didn’t take that into account. Just imagine if he were to do the same and gave you…”

He took a moment to think about what, exactly, Hylians were known to eat. 

“If he gave you a basket of apples for every meal. That would be an odd experience, and you would definitely be sick of apples by the end of the day”, he finished, and nodded to himself. Yes, it made perfect sense. It explained everything.

…Well, it didn’t explain the part where Link didn’t react to the first couple of fishes appropriately, when he hadn’t yet grown sick and tired of eating them, but he was willing to ignore such downer logic. 

“Alright! Time to tackle the day and amaze Link! I believe in you!”

If his reflection believed in him, then so did he!

\-----

“Ah, there you are! I’ve been looking for you”, Sidon said, waving cheerfully at Link who was just exiting the general store with a bunch of arrows in his arms. 

Link smiled at him, then nodded at the arrows. He wouldn’t be able to respond until his hands were free. 

“Let me”, Sidon said, and carefully lifted the burden from Link. Where Link had needed both of his arms to carry them, Sidon only needed one considerably larger hand for the task.

Link rolled his eyes, and pointed at the inn that was literally next door from the store. 

Sidon chuckled.

“You’re right, but I just like helping”, he said, and the two of them headed to the inn. “Are you free? I was hoping to go swimming with you, if you have the time.”

Link nodded, a bright smile on his face. 

“Excellent! I’m thinking East Reservoir Lake, if that’s fine with you?” Sidon suggested, hoping Link agreed. He had ulterior motives for his choice: he needed lots of space both around and underneath, which most of the smaller lakes didn’t offer. 

Link shrugged and then nodded. Obviously it was all the same to him. 

Sidon cheered internally as he put the arrows into Link’s quiver.

\-----

“Link? There’s something I want you to see”, Sidon said nervously after a few minutes of peaceful swimming.

Link ran a hand through his bangs to get them out of his eyes after a dive, and then looked at Sidon expectantly.

This was it.

“Come with me”, Sidon beckoned, and led Link further away from the dock. The Hylian looked slightly nervous about being surrounded by so much water at all sides, but he followed anyway. 

Once there was enough space, Sidon stopped.

“Please stay where you are and watch”, he said, and felt his neck scales ruffle from nervous excitement.

Link nodded, and paddled the water patiently. 

Sidon took a deep breath to calm himself, then launched into action. He swam circles around Link while doing complicated flips and dives, flaring his fins, diving deep so he could jump high when breaching the water, twisting his body into water-bound dance moves, and splashing water impressively. 

Normally the courted Zora would join in on the dance if they reciprocated the feelings, but Sidon didn’t expect that from Link. A Hylian would not be able to do half of the complicated maneuvers. But Sidon’s feelings should be abundantly clear from the dance.

Once he finished, he looked at Link, breathing heavily from the exercise. 

Link looked suitably impressed, even taking a moment to clap before he was forced to return his hands into the water to keep him afloat. 

Right, he couldn't sign in deep water. 

Sidon swam over to Link and picked him up, sitting the Hylian on his stomach while he floated on his back. They assumed this position often, when Link started to tire from the swimming but neither of them wanted to leave yet. 

“What do you think?” Sidon asked, feeling nervous but hopeful. 

Link smiled and signed. ‘That was amazing! I wish I could swim as well as you do.’

Sidon grinned, and waited for Link to continue. 

He didn’t.

Sidon’s grin dimmed a little. 

“Is that all you have to say?” he asked hesitantly. He didn’t want to beg for the words of either acceptance or rejection, but being left hanging for three days was starting to eat at him.

Link looked baffled, and then frowned in thought. He slowly lifted his hands again. 

‘It was very cool? I’m very impressed?’

They were spelled like questions, but what mattered to Sidon was the word “impressed”. It cheered him up considerably. Link was impressed! It wasn’t a proclamation of mutual love, but it was an indication of interest! 

His courting was finally working! Obviously nobody could resist the traditional Zora courting dance.

“I’m happy to hear that! Thank you!” Sidon said excitedly, and hugged a confused Link.

Link ended up nearly drowning because of Sidon’s enthusiastic affections, and they had to get him back to the inn to rest up, but that was a minor detail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Lesson in Kissing" now officially has the most kudos I've ever had. You guys just one-upped the Justice League fandom, congrats!


	4. To catch his desire

Sidon was feeling rather excited and hopeful about this day. After all, yesterday Link had finally shown interest in him after his, if he did say so himself, fabulous courting dance.

It was time for the next step!

He had never actually gotten this far with anyone before as he had always lacked the interest, and nobody went for this part unless the other party was interested. So he was both nervous and excited.

“It’ll go well. He is interested, so there’s no way it’ll go badly”, Sidon said to himself, then gave his reflection a brilliant smile before leaving his room to find Link.

\-----

“And here we are!” Sidon said cheerfully as he led Link to Veiled Falls, for what he considered their first official date.

Link looked amused. ‘I have been here before, as you can tell from the Shrine over there. You could have just told me where we were going instead of leading me here.’

Sidon chuckled, and gave Link a fond look.

“Oh, but it wouldn’t have been the same. It’s much more romantic this way”, Sidon answered, and gave Link a cheeky wink.

Link rolled his eyes good naturedly, but gave Sidon a sidelong glance when the Zora wasn’t looking.

Sidon didn’t notice.

“Here, this is my favourite spot”, Sidon said, and sat down by the water. He looked at Link and patted the spot by his side invitingly.

Link obliged without any fuss, looking content and peaceful. Sidon couldn’t help but stare just a little; Link always looked so gorgeous when he was surrounded by the nature, like he belonged in the wild.

Sidon sighed happily, and then reached his hand into the small pouch he had tied to his belt. He pulled out an apple, and handed it to Link.

“See, no fish this time. I can learn”, he said with an admittedly smug grin.

Link snorted, elbowed him playfully, and then accepted the gift. Sidon counted that as a huge success.

While Link munched on his snack, Sidon chattered away about any little trivial thing that came to mind, making for a very comfortable atmosphere. He had learned that Link preferred conversations where he didn’t need to participate overly much; if he could get away with just facial expressions and nods, all the better. So the Zora provided, more than happy despite Link’s silence.

Once Link was nice and relaxed, Sidon finally made his move: he wrapped his arm around Link’s waist and gently pulled the Hylian closer to his side. Link gave him a brief surprised look, but didn’t say anything or move away.

So far so good, then.

Sidon ran his fingers gently over Link’s side, along the spot where a Zora’s gills would be. Link didn’t seem to notice, and Sidon realized that he probably didn’t even feel it under his clothes. So he pressed a little harder, and repeated the move.

Link looked at the hand, but Sidon obviously couldn’t see his expression from this angle. He admitted that he was slightly nervous now. Was he being too bold, after all?

Link, however, snorted quietly, and then turned to look at Sidon’s torso contemplatively. The Hylian lifted his hand and experimentally ran it over Sidon’s gills.

Sidon’s whole existence was made of pure bliss. Of course, the touch itself was marvelous, but the fact that Link was reciprocating was so much better. Sidon could have cried out of happiness.

But there was one more thing to do to show Link how much he wanted him, now that Link was receptive to his advances. To show how serious he was.

Sidon took a deep breath, leaned over to Link, and sunk his teeth into the Hylian’s shoulder.

Link reacted instantly.

“What the hell?!”

Confused and startled by the sudden, angry vocalization, Sidon let go of the shoulder and tried to look at Link to see what was wrong.

Tried, because the moment his teeth were removed from Link’s person, the Hylian smacked Sidon upside the crest. There wasn’t much strength behind the smack, but it still stung a little bit.

Sidon leaned back to give Link a bewildered look, while his hand automatically went up to gingerly touch the abused crest.

Link looked angry and flustered, and his signing was choppy, but it was still perfectly legible.

‘Bad shark! No biting!’

But- But-

Link's lips pressed tightly together until they formed one pale line, and he gingerly grasped his bitten shoulder. The fabric of his shirt had punctures on it, and Sidon could see blood seeping through.

He… He hadn’t meant to bite so hard. He had apparently overestimated the durability of Hylian cloth and skin.

‘See you’, Link signed one-handedly, stood up huffily, and left Sidon gaping after him in mild horror.

Damn it. That had gone about as badly as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank all of you for the lovely comments and the heaps of kudos this story (and my other ones) have received <3 One more chapter to go.


	5. To catch his heart

Sidon hadn’t been able to find Link for the rest of the day. He had looked everywhere he could think of and asked everyone in his path, but the angry Hylian had made himself scarce. The only positive thing he found was an exasperated Kodah, who had told him that Link hadn’t left the Domain for good, but didn’t want to see Sidon yet. 

According to her, Link would seek Sidon out on his own, and if Sidon didn’t keep “his stupid sharky face” out of the inn and let Link be, he would regret it. Sidon wasn’t certain if those words were Link’s direct message or if Kodah was speaking her own mind, but he heeded the words regardless. He didn’t have a choice if he ever wanted Link to talk to him again.

So Sidon had spent a miserable evening in his chambers, forlornly rolling a pearl back and forth between his hands on his work desk. The pearl was supposed to be his next move, a gift to promise Link that Sidon’s heart belonged to him alone, and that one day he could expect to receive a sapphire to go with it. 

Sidon sighed, and let his head drop on the desk with a dull ‘thud’. He supposed it would have been way too early to give the pearl anyway; they should probably see whether or not they actually worked as a couple before making any lasting promises. But Sidon was completely convinced that they would, and he didn’t want to even consider giving his heart to anyone else. As long as Link was around, Sidon wouldn’t stop loving him, even if Link decided that he didn’t love him in return. 

That was okay, though. Sidon could bear it. Sidon would outlive Link by another one or two hundred years anyway and could eventually, maybe, learn to love another. Or at least marry a nice Zora woman out of duty to keep the royal line going, and pretend. He knew something along those lines was in his future anyway, so it wasn’t like any of this changed anything. 

Well, anything except whether or not he got to be happily in love with the man of his dreams until his duty caught up to him. 

He lifted his head off the desk just so he could let it fall again, for good measure. 

Right as he was done with that, he heard a knock on his door. Miserable as he was, he was also a prince, and as such he couldn’t waste time wallowing in self-pity when his subjects needed him. He lifted his head again and put on his best poker face before turning towards the door.

“Enter”, he said, and adjusted his overall posture to be more presentable. 

His eyes widened when Link let himself in.

“Link!” Sidon said, barely believing his eyes. After the initial shock, his gaze snapped to Link’s shoulder; the Hylian was wearing a different tunic, so Sidon couldn’t ascertain whether or not the shoulder had been patched up. He could only hope it had been.

Link gave him a wave, but the expression on his face was completely unreadable. It was nothing new, but still rather distressing under the current circumstances. 

Sidon hastily stood up, and the pearl nearly rolled off the table in the process. He managed to catch it with only a little fumbling, and then he deposited it in a drawer to keep it safe and out of view. 

“Ah, sorry about that. Please, have a seat”, Sidon said awkwardly, and walked over to his sitting area. He gestured to one of the seats.

Link’s eyes stayed on the drawer for a moment, but then he followed Sidon and sat down, much to Sidon’s relief. 

An awkward silence reigned. Sidon didn’t even know where to begin. He should definitely apologize, but he also wanted to declare his undying love to Link while he still could, and he wanted to ask how everything managed to go so wrong in the first place, and-- 

‘Sidon’, Link signed, putting a halt to Sidon’s frantic thoughts instantly. ‘We had a big case of miscommunication going on earlier. I asked Kodah about your behaviour over the past few days, and according to her it was you trying to court me?’

Sidon could only stare in utter disbelief. According to… 

“You mean you didn’t understand any of it?” he asked numbly. “That I just imagined you showing interest in return?”

If Sidon wasn’t busy reliving the past few days in an alarming new light, he would probably be heartbroken. As it was, he felt a bit too numb for that.

Link waved to catch his attention again. 

‘I wouldn’t say quite that’, Link signed with a hint of a coy smile, before sobering. ‘How would I understand? I’m not a Zora, and even if I was basically raised in the Domain, I forgot everything about my past. I had to re-learn basically everything that hadn’t been committed to muscle-memory.’

Sidon honestly hadn’t thought about that. He just… sort of assumed that Link would know the drill, somehow. Because everybody knew. Adults obviously knew, youngsters knew, even the children knew, although they didn’t necessarily catch all the nuances. It was common knowledge. It was…

It was culture specific, wasn’t it? Now that he stopped to think about it, it should be very obvious. He had even reasoned the Fish Disaster out by rationalizing that the issue was due to Link being a Hylian. And he had taken Link’s race into account during his courting dance. Damn, he had even taken a notice of the fact that Link didn’t have gills when he had made moves on him earlier this very same day. Yet he hadn’t, for a single instance, wondered if the Zora traditions in courting would even translate to a non-Zora.

He felt like the biggest idiot in existence. 

Sidon buried his face in his hands with a groan, and muttered apologies in a constant stream. He was such a disaster when it came to courting. His whole life he had been unable to scrounge together enough interest to take the initial attempts at courting anywhere, and when he finally had the interest he failed at the courting itself. It was like the universe didn’t want him to succeed.

After a good long bout of self-deprecation, he felt poking on his arm. Instantly, he looked up with guilty eyes. He hadn't meant to shut Link out! Oh, Link was probably even angrier at him now; had he been trying to sign at him? 

Sidon opened his mouth to give another apology, but Link lifted a hand to silence him. Of course, Sidon went absolutely quiet and held still. If Link had something to say, Sidon would make sure to catch every word of it now, to make up for blocking his sight just a moment ago. 

‘You should bring me flowers’, Link signed.

Wait, what?

‘Or chocolate, if you can actually find some. Or maybe cupcakes, I like those’, Link continued, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. 

Sidon stared, uncomprehending. Flowers, chocolate, cupcakes? ...Wait, bring them to Link...

His eyes widened in understanding, and he nodded rapidly, not daring to say anything yet. 

Link’s smile widened. ‘Then you should serenade me. Preferably pick as cheesy and ridiculously romantic a song as you can. If you can rope someone into playing an instrument in the background, all the better.’

Sidon felt like he should be taking notes but he didn’t dare interrupt, so he just had to commit the information to memory. 

‘Then you’ll ask me on a date, and if I agree to it, you’ll show up wearing your best clothes and bring me more flowers. You should make it a dinner date. As you know, I love food.’

Sidon nodded, already making plans. Definitely not fish for that dinner. ...Or maybe a little bit of fish, but also other things to go with it. Rice?

Link’s eyes were positively sparkling with mirth. ‘If all goes well, I’ll agree to hold your hand when you take me on a leisure walk after the dinner. And when you finally escort me back to my room, you might even receive a kiss before you leave.’

Sidon only had a vague idea of what a kiss was – something Hylians did with their mouths? No matter, he was more than willing to experience one with Link; it was sure to be enjoyable if it was with Link.

‘After that, I want cheesy love letters at least once a day for a while. I’m probably very done with flowers by then, so you should send me sweets to go with the letters. Also, you should endeavor to hold my hand, or do that crest nuzzle you sometimes do, or go for some other light way of showing affection whenever you can.’

Oh, Sidon was most definitely up for that. One hundred percent.

‘Then you should ask me on another date. Or I will probably get impatient and ask you myself, but whatever. I can’t yet say where it’ll go from there, so we’ll just have to wait and see’, Link finished, beaming at Sidon. 

Sidon beamed right back, and then grabbed Link into a crushing hug. 

“Thank you! I promise I will do anything you want me to do, and I’ll do my absolute best to do it right!” he said, and smiled even wider, if possible, when he felt Link return the embrace and heard his quiet laugh. 

Then Link tapped Sidon’s bicep to get his attention again. Reluctantly, Sidon placed him down.

‘I want a more tangible promise’, Link signed, mischief evident in his smile. ‘Gimme.’

The Hylian held out his hand, palm up.

Sidon blinked in confusion while his brain worked overtime to puzzle the odd request out. 

Then it dawned to him. 

Not wasting a moment, Sidon hurried over to his work desk, pulled the drawer open haphazardly, and grabbed the pearl. He walked back over to Link, and took a moment to draw a deep breath and fix his posture. Then he smiled adoringly at his Hylian friend. 

“Link. Will you accept this gift, and allow me to promise my heart to you alone?” Sidon asked, and delicately held out the pearl for Link to take. His heart was hammering in his chest, in excitement and pure joy, to see this moment become reality after all the mistakes he made on the way there.

Link’s cheeks gained a red hue as he looked from Sidon to the pearl and back. Then he reached out, and carefully took the gift from Sidon’s palm.

“...Maybe”, Link answered out loud, and held the pearl to his chest while giving Sidon a wicked smile.

It took Sidon a moment to comprehend the answer, then another to get over the shock of it, and then he laughed until he had tears in his eyes. Yes, he rather deserved that.

Link leaned against him the entire time, laughing in equal mirth and being louder than Sidon had ever heard him laugh before.

He kept the pearl. And later agreed to a date.

\-----

Years later, Sidon presented Link with a sapphire ring; a sapphire representing a Zora male’s intention to marry, and a ring meaning the same for a Hylian.

Link, of course, answered ‘maybe’, before kissing his future husband silly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the ride.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my fics, consider giving me a tip at [Ko-Fi](http://ko-fi.com/jadeile). Not mandatory by any means, just letting you know it's an option :) Your comments/kudos is more than enough. As a side note, I post fanfic progress updates on my blog there, so head over and take a look if you wish to know how things are going with my fics, and also to see small sneak peeks into future chapters/projects.


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